He said they tried salesmen, call centers, but they had not been able to sustain any real growth. They were over looking the obvious… People did not who they were and what their story was.

After several emails back and forth with a prospective new client, I finally asked him if they were using social media and if they had any relationships with contractors, insurance agents, or realtors. They the answer I got back was no, no social media, and no relationships. They were a company in the home security business, sales and installation. And, they did have any of these in play.

You have to work the grapevine or you will die on the vine. They had tried the old conventional ways of getting into homes. But, what they did not understand apparently is that people live in these homes. People who use the internet and people who talk to each other and who do business with each other and more importantly – refer each other.

If you own a wine shop for instance, you may want to know – florists, restaurants, people who are in the chocolate business, caterers, other people who have anything remotely to do with the product or service that you are involved with. It just goes without saying, well I just said it.

If you are a leather shop you may need to refer customers to another leather shop that does alterations, who carry biker coats, and chaps and products that you don’t. I am pretty sure that they will refer customers to you because you sell the more fashion forward colors and styles. This is how this works. You have to know people.

You may have the best dang widget or thingy, but unless people know about it, it will not sell it. Expand your circle of friends and associates and you expand your circle of influence. This is called leverage. You take what you have to help lift something you want to move. A rising tide does lift all boats. The more people you know the more people you know will know you.

Make friends and influence people. Don’t die on the vine, make it work for you.

How many of us can say that we can effectively apply the following principle in the work place?

“The first step to living wisely is to relinquish self-conceit. See the delusional folly in being a nervous know-it-all whose giddy mind is always prattling on about its knee-jerk impressions of events and other people, forcing current experiences into previously formed categories: ‘Oh yes, this thing here is just like such and such.’ Behold the world fresh—as it is, on its own terms—through the eye of a beginner. To know that you do not know and to be willing to admit that you do not know without sheepishly apologizing is a real strength and sets the stage for learning and progress in any endeavor.” Epictetus

Being an Introvert and a Highly Sensitive Person, I have struggled with my place in this world. Professionally and personally, I have tried to fit in and make a life for myself. Now, I realize after all these years of trying to fit in, I was doing it wrong.

“Quiet”, Susan Cain’s book is life changing. I am making it my mission to spread the good word of

What’s this Free Kittens controversy? Why are people holding baby cats against their will? Or, are there baby cats in need of good homes?

Sometimes the message needs to be clearer. Obviously, I know there is no feline liberation movement, but still. Please clarify…. Are these little guys in good health? Do they need shots, and need to be spayed and neutered? I need to know more, or I am going to keep driving.

Now a days with retailers still playing games with prices and signage, people are catching on. Believe it or not, some people can do that new math and figure out that 60% off the MSRP plus an additional 30% off does not equate to what is presented on the sign. The Was is not the WAS and the Now most certainly is not the NOW.

Be real and more importantly, be real honest. With some many places to get what we want, we need to be genuine. In every transaction in this Concept driven economy the concept of fair and honest pricing is more important than ever.

No one is fooled by blinking lights, and showy showmanship. Our attention span is getting shorter every day. But, what gets our attention is something new and relevant – The Truth, and Fairness. Try to be both or go get yourself a kitten or maybe a UP with People button as I drive by on my way to someone I admire for having the guts to be real, honestly.

Ambivert a personality type- yet not. Between the poles and extremes of Introversion and Extroversion is the median of Ambiversion.

I spent my life running to one side or one pole or extreme to the other. When I was younger I tried to be the life of the party, the ambitious over achiever, to the quiet loner, the dark brooding poet locked away from the world.

But, neither of these brought me any solace or success. In my personal, social, or professional live, I never managed to find the sweet spot where all my efforts and hard work paid off.

I knocked around trying to be someone I was not. I tried to be a stockbroker when I was in my twenties, but to no avail. I had talents and gifts but I could never seem to get any traction. Then I would take off the mantle of type A personality type and charge hard for the hills, or forest for seclusion and succor to heal my wounds that I thought the hard, cruel world had inflicted upon me.

Time and years would go by playing the starving artist. But, I found no comfort in the arts and in the seclusion that I sought. I felt so out of place, I had nowhere to turn. I was frustrated with where I was and where I wasn’t.

To friends and family and to the world at large I was a curiosity. To them I was intelligent, personable, and creative, I had initiative and drive. But, every avenue I pursued, I could not for the life of me see the forest through the trees. I was at a loss, when I needed gains. I could not fathom another failure. I had always had trouble working through trials and challenges. It was a not a character flaw, for I knew what I stood for, but I did not know where I was supposed to be standing, until, I stood in the right spot.

Perspective is everything. It happened when I stood still. I worked through a difficult time, because I had no other choice. I could not afford to be an Introverted wilting lily, or a loud out spoken domineering Extroverted genius.

I could not risk being ambivalent either, but I could be an Ambivert. That is the sweet spot between the two poles. I could step out and live life and know when to charge my batteries, be creative, know when to speak up and when to shut up. I realized that life is about balance or stasis. I could give and take in equal measure and that life was a marathon, not a sprint. And, that life was more wrestling than dancing and I had to know what battles to pick and when was a good time to concede defeat and when was a good time to claim victory.

Life can turn on a dime if you let it. It’s where you stand and what you see. My worldview is now and will always be framed with my new and exciting super power – Ambivision. By using critical thinking and creative feeling I can now see the world as I choose it to be, and the way it truly is.

We are creatures of habit and we take the path of least resistance. We need to play with our settings, try something new, and order something different off the menu. Or, maybe watch public television instead of reality shows.

We work jobs where we do the same thing all day and every day. Routines are okay, I guess. When trains run on time that is a good thing. The car starts when we turn it over, hopefully. But, when you can drive half way to work and realize it’s your day off, that’s not so okay.

When we try and do new things we create new neural pathways. Our brains can be plastic and can stretch if we push new frontiers.

We can all be artists and create new ways of doing things i.e. handling problems, seeking resolution, finishing tasks, and creating new connections with new people.

Sharing ideas, information, and ways of thinking clears our default settings. Select the shuffle mode and be a little random and see what happens. Maybe paradigms will start to shift and we can see the world in new and exciting ways.